THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 



OFFICIAL BUSINESS 



.S7T7 



15 



E 241 
.S7 T7 
Copy 1 



AND OXJR XUH^^ 

BY 
M.\RION EMMA. TRACrr 




ATORT-WHICH-NEVER 
SURRENDERED 



DEFENDED-AUGUST 
1777- BY -COL- PETER 
GANSEVOORT.&'LIEUT. 
COL-MARINUS-WILLETT. 

HERE-THE- STARS •& 
STRIPES • WERE- riRST 
UNFURLED-IN-BATTLE. 




ERECTED -1758. 



This fort occupied a portion of 
the block bounded by North James, 
East Domlnick, Spring and 
Liberty Streets, Rome.N.Y. 



■S7TJ 



\ 



Copyrighted, 1914, by 
ROBERT BRUCE and MARION EMMA TRACY. 




Rome Club House, Rome, N. Y., on the site of Fort Stanwix. 
The Elm beside it was a sapling inside the Fort in 1777. 



OaA371698 
MAY "4 1914 



FOREWORD 




HIS story, vividly portraying the 
siege of Fort Stanwix, the first 
unfurling of the Stars and Stripes 
in battle, and the historic march 
of General Nicholas Herkimer, 
was originally intended as a magazine contribution. 
While well suited to such use, its ownership would 
afterwards have been vested elsewhere than in the 
district where it should be best known and most 
appreciated. 

Hence the decision to publish it in this souvenir 
booklet form, with the hope that the people of 
Central New York, and particularly of Rome, may 
always cherish the memories which the portrayal 
was designed to perpetuate. 



Robert Bruce. 



Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y., 

April 15, 1914. 



(A.dditional copies of this booklet can be had at 50 cents 
each, postpaid, from Marion Emma Tracy, 707 E. Dominicic 
Street, Rome, N. Y.) 




Photograph of General Nicholas Herkimer, copied from a portrait painted 
in oil, in possession of Oneida County Historical Society. 



Fort Stanwix and Our Flag. 

By MARION EMMA TRACY. 

To be eoiiiiiiissioiied to a frontier i'ort whieli was in 
a deplorable state of disrepair, and the solitary sentinel 
in a vast wooded wilderness, savored more of hardships 
than of honors. Bnt sueh was General Schuyler's order 
to Colonel Peter Gansevoort. and sncli Avas the condition 
of Fort Stanwix, NeAV York, in April, 1777. 

Fort Osw^eg'o, on Lake Ontario. aAvay to the north- 
west, had long been abandoned, and Albany with its 
military reserves lay five days' march to the east. Be- 
tween these extremes on the lonely, exposed portage 
separating AVood Creek and the Mohawk River, Colonel 
Gansevoort and his garrison of five hundred fifty men 
of the Third New York regiment, found themscdves 
posted. His was the third detachment stationed here ; 
still the fort, strategic and important as it Avas in guard- 
ing the ]\lohaAvk vallt\v. Avas an insecure defense against 
an enemy mightier than the Avild things of the Avoods. 

Colonel Gansevoort 's iuA^entory shoAved inadequate ra- 
tions, and the excessive heat rendc^ring much of this 
unfit for consumption. PoAvder. also, Avas conspicuous 
in its scarcity, bullets did not fit the guns, and ammu- 
nition guaranteed l)ut nine rounds per gun each day 
for a possible six Aveeks' tenancy. Besides these per- 
plexing conditions, decay was every Avh(M'e. Parapets 
Avere brokc^n. liastions Avholly ineffective, and the moat 
about the fortification choked Avith debris, a Aveakened 
barrier to dcdermined invasion. In addition. tim])ers nee- 



essaiy for the work of reconstruction must be hewn by 
hand, while those wielding- authority in military circles, 
familiar witii the reports of previously withdrawn troops, 
had, thus far. been surprisingly slow in dispatching sup- 
plies and e(iuipment to outlast an impending attack of 
the British. 

Viewed in its entirety, the task appointed the young 
commander was a colossal one, and under a less mag- 
netic. I'esourceful leader the issue might easily have been 
reversed. 

The entii'e war situation was steadil3' growing more 
serious. Eai'ly in ]\Iarch, across the Atlantic, came the 
authentic report that Sir John Burgoyne had theoreti- 
call.y outlined a plan of attack which, unless baffied, 
would mean probably defeat to the struggling Conti- 
nental army and the great cause of independence. Later, 
this being endorsed by the royal council, Sir Guy Carl- 
ton of Canada was instructed to provide troops, food, 
supplies and anununition sufficient to carry the project 
to compilation under Sir John and Colonel Barry St. 
Leg(M*. 

June brought a subsequent rumor that General Bur- 
goyne had already started across northern wastes to- 
ward Lakes Champlain and G<^orge, intending by this 
route to tap the Hudson and thereby effect a junction 
with Howe's forces. Simultaneously. St. Leger, with 
six hundred British regulars, left Lachine, six miles from 
Montreal, to drift down the St. Lawri^ice to Ontario, 
through the Oswego River to Oneida Lake and thence 
by Wood Creek to the portage. Once in the Mohawk 
valley — God help those who had repudiated George HI 
and his emissaries ! 

Another cause for anxiety develo])ed also when Joseph 
Brant — a half-breed — disappeared and was said to be 
in l(»ague with St. Leger, commanding the Lidians as 
allies, one thousand strong. Twenty dollars a scalp and 

[ 61 



a ({uart of rum were the brazen, unqualified terms oL' 
reimbursement for the savages. 

The lower Mohawk region through which Colonel 
Gansevoort and his men had come was a seething pot 
of strife. Allegiance to the Crown and the cry for free- 
dom were the twin agencies which, ])arbed by individual 
decisions, conscientious or otherwise, were dividing fam- 
ilies, leaving fathers and sons in opposing ranks, mak- 
ing enemies of brothers and turning the love of lifelong 
friendships to hate. Discontent was rife among the regu- 
lar troops and the citizen soldiery had mutinied when 
ordered to the relief of Fort Stanwix. 

Slowly Burgoyne was hewing his way south, and the 
forts to the north — Crown Point, Ticonderoga and Ed- 
ward — were, one after another, compelled to surrender. 
Precious supplies at Whiteliall had also been confiscated. 
Lacking troops, Schuyler could only temporarily retard 
his advance by felling trees across his path. Because 
of this, the prospective onslaught, with its reinforcement 
of British troops, caused nuich dismay, and members of 
the Continental Congress found solving the new nation's 
problems a hazardous and not altogether satisfactory 
undertaking. 

The general longing for independence was quite as 
keen, but the fate of the new cause was just now jeop- 
ardized, and this uncertainty left all else subordinate 
to self-interests. The price of li])erty was none too posi- 
tively outlined to the wavering ones. King George's 
yok(^ had galled, but where were they to find a haven 
if his supremacy was re-established? This doubt led many 
deserters back to the ranks of royalty. 

General Schuyler's position, due to this wave of in- 
decision, was now a most trying one, and the gloom 
of that summer seemed but the s])ectral shadows of Val- 
ley Forge. Yet the success of the Revolution was the 
one theme of conversation, of dream, of prayer. 

[7] 



July had eoine with its enervating heat, and many 
of Colonel Gansevoort's men were on the sick list. The 
Indians, daily becoming more hostile, skulked about the 
fort in constantly increasing numbers with undisguised 
motive; i-aids from them were hourly anticipated. In- 
deed, to venture alone five hundred yards from the en- 
closure was to court disaster. Two young girls had been 
murdered, a third escaping with a l)ullet wound in one 
shoulder. Settlers about the fort were growing appre- 
hensive, and the least intrepid among them braved cap- 
ture and death in a hurried flight down the river. 

Despite his limited resources. Colonel Gansevoort sent 
a detachment of one hundred fifty men to block the 
progress of the enemy when they should reach Wood 
Creek ; thus fourteen daj's Avere spent. Concerted ac- 
tion must also be centered on making the fort impreg- 
nable, as the coming of the British was close at hand. 
St. Leger's troops had been met hy Brant and his In- 
dians at Oswego and the whole body thereafter shadowed 
by friendly Oneidas, Avho, from this time, kept Ganse- 
voort informed of their location. 

July was waning before the heartening information 
came to the fort that a number of batteaux, freighted 
with provisions and military supplies, were coming up 
from Schenectady under a guard two hundred strong, 
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James INIellen of the 
Ninth Massachusetts regiment. With this knowledge, the 
future of the fort took on its first rose-tints since the 
advent of the garrison, and a company of one hundred 
men were sent out as a reception committee to welcome 
the newcomers. Spirits caught new^ inspiration, and the 
ra])id ring of axes made merry echoes in the woods. De- 
fying King George was not the irksome task it had been! 

At five o'clock Saturday afternoon, August second, the 
relief party swung into the waters of the ox-bow curve 




This profile of Gen. Herkimer's route was built up from maps of the 

Province of New York, made by English Geographers in 1767, 

1775 and 1777. Mr. W. Pierrepont White, of Utica. 

gave much research to it, and was principally 

responsible for its present form. The 

map is absolutely to scale. 



of the ^loliawk A\ here the river ci'ci)! in closer to the 
fort. American hustle is the offspring of just such emer- 
gencies as this, and these Avelct)me additions to the fort's 
depleted stock Avere presently housed witli more haste 
than ceremony. And haste was imperative. An Indian 
runni'r had, at this juncture, come into camp, bringing 
the disconcerting news that the English Avere almost upon 
them. In fact, the final boat -load was hardly within 
the lamparts when the van of the advance guard, ac- 
companied by numy of the scalp-hungry savages under 
Bi'ant. could be seen coming down the trail. 

On this isolated amphitheater of the wilderness Fate 
had arranged the most dramatic setting of the Revo- 
lution, and sealed its opening scene with the capture 
of the captain of the relief boats, temporarily h^ft be- 
hind ! Quick work of a sagacious foe, indeed, and the 
incidiMit flattered the inherent conceit of the invaders. 
It also fired the dogged persistence of the beleagured 
Americans. 

Night passed with no further demonstrations, and the 
day following broke fair and bright. Aw^ay to the west 
the trail Avas nominally clear and for a half-mile to- 
ward Wood Creek glimpses of red-coats were becoming 
more frequent. Faint echoes of martial music could now 
be heard and soldiers at the fort climbed the parapets 
to listen. The last of St. Leger's troops had arrived, 
and. impatient of restraint, the Colonel quickly formed 
them into line and gave command to march. 

On they came Avith measured tread, confidently, de- 
terminedly, deploying until their lines spread out ini- 
mitably, and. to the spectators on the parapets, seemed 
an unnund)ered host. The bright uniforms of the regu- 
lars AA'ith the gay trappings, and feathers Muttering in 
the head-gear of their allies, contributed a gorgeous dash 
of color to an otherAvise somber setting of the picture. 

The gai'i'ison Avatched them in silence. Not a gun 

[ 1<» 1 



was fired, no cry of defiance broke the Sabbath still- 
ness, and the men slipped back to their places peculiarly 
elated. This was certainly no nnworthy foe to defy, 
but yesterday's vietory should be their last! The old 
fort should be held till either the enemy capitulated 
or not a live patriot remained inside to defend it ! 

St. Leger appeared at this time, the embodiment of 
English pomp and assurance, openly enthusiastic over 
the lack of American resistance thus far. arrogant and 
egotistically confident of ultimate success. Directing the 
erection of his headquarters at the summit of a slight 
eminence to the north of the fort, he took possession 
with all the assumption of a reigning monarch — as 
though it parodied the throne-room over-seas. Immedi- 
ately he sent Colonel Gansevoort a formal demand to 
surrender, and with corresponding directness that of- 
ficer's unconditional and scornful refusal was given back. 

Notwithstanding the untiring effort of the men at the 
fort since early in June, the threatened crisis had stolen 
upon them while yet the parapets w^ere incomplete and 
the magazine — ^a necessity wholly overlooked by the en- 
gineer until now — was not even begun. Under fire from 
the enemy, this was built and the parapets completed. 
Occasionally a patriot fell, but another took his place 
and the work went on at fearful cost. In return sharp- 
shooters in the covert-way picked off men of the invad- 
ing ranks and so. as the days came and went, the open- 
ing chapters of Fort Stanwnx's glorious struggle were 
ineffaceably w-ritten. 

As dawn broke over camp on the fourth of August 
the tactics of the British were further revealed when 
Indians began "pot-hunting" exposed soldiers from be- 
hind trees. The stars that night looked down upon a 
l)esieged garrison puzzling over this ciuestion : How was 
ignominious defeat to be eventually dealt out to the 
opposing hordes confronting them? 

[ 11 ] 




Bronze Tablet placed by the D. A. R. upon the Post Office, Rome, N. Y., 

located near the probable path across the Great Carrying Place, 

connecting Wood Creek with the Mohawk River, used 

by Traders and Indians. 



AVitli the coming- of the British and tlieir display of 
colors and iiuisie, a peculiar eondtion became apparent, 
not emphasized before ; the old flag-staff, rising from 
the south-west l)astion, was without an ensign and seemed 
orphaned! In June Congress had adopted a design, but 
that did not relieve the present incongruous situation. 
A flag nnist be had by some means! However, of the 
poetic conditions regarding the momentous development 
of this idol of liberty, history is disappointingly silent. 
Intent upon the sterner things of duty and necessity, 
it has left us to imagine the consternation at the fort, 
following the Indians' warning, the frantic rush of re- 
maining settlers into the enclosure, the probable transfer 
of household treasure. Yet, withal, between the non- 
committal lines, facts render a tenable supposition easy. 

It is not improbable, therefore, that that memorable 
Saturday night of the opening of the siege found women 
trying to preserve some semblance of home amid adverse 
surroundings; listening, perhaps, to the: ''Now I lay 
me" of some wee tot tucked into an improvised bed; 
again, tossing a bone to some trapper's dog, hungry 
and neglected, and later, tiptoeing away to hospital quar- 
ters to relieve the needs of men whom heat and long 
hours had overcome. Women of those frontier days were 
inured to hardships and too accustonunl to danger to 
be appalled l)y the present (^nergency. AVith character- 
istic rc^sourcefulness they met this situation and thereby 
unwittingly stamped history with their individual seal. 

Certainly the time was not propitious for a ''thimble 
part3^" yet somewhere within the fort — possibly in the 
officers' headquarters — materials were asseml)led, deft 
fingers measured and joined while l)i-ave spirits sew^ed 
calmly on disregarding the thunder of cannon, the sharp 
popping of muskets, and a rain of bullets about the fort. 
As th(^ precious eml)lem nmtured undei* their skillful 
touches a <'ontagion of entlnisiasm s])i-(>ad ra])idly among 

[ l:^> 1 



\hv soldiers. One t^Toup after aiiotlier Imrried iu for 
a glimpse, and. with genuine ardor, proudly saluted the 
Stars and Stripes! And then — we do not know whieh 
of those initial days of the siege — an exultant garrison, 
wildly cheering, thrilled over the sight of their new pen- 
nant as it rose gaily up the weather-beaten old flagstaff, 
above the parapets and on, to Avhere the breeze caught 
it, and for the first time, snapped it defiantly in the 
face of a foe. Against the blue, softened by distance, 
the crudeness of its manufacture was lost, and the liter- 
alness of a woman's red petticoat, a soldier's white shirt, 
and an army coat of blue, were transmuted into the 
romance of a new nation's birth and its Declaration 
of Independence. Mute companion of their stress and 
struggle, yet magnetic, inspiring, it waved above them, 
a subtle factor in keeping hearts stout and unyielding 
during the perplexing days which followed. 

Closely allied with the liag incident were two days 
of intermittent firing Avith but little result and condi- 
tions practically unchanged. In the light of Colonel 
Gansevoort's contemptuous refusal to surrender and the 
further evidence of fearlessness among his men, the next 
manoeuvre of Colonel St. Leger's could not be considered 
seriously. The evening of the fifth, under cover of dark- 
ness, the Indians in full force circled their supposed 
victims and held an impromptu war-dance, far into the 
night, hideous with war-whoop and pent-up cruelty. As 
a specialty between acts its grim humor lent a spectacular 
feature to the carnage of war. 

During this time stories from Indian runners had per- 
colated through the valley and aroused among its people 
a much keener appreciation of the imperiled patriots at 
Fort Stanwix than heretofore ; they also better compre- 
hended what it might mean should the rabble-host, venge- 
ance-mad, sweep down the river looting, burning, scalping, 
to salve the wounded British pride. 

MM 



(liMioral IIci'kiiiK'i'. with a spirit undismayed, loving 
the cause of Anie**iean independence better than life it- 
self, had at last electrified the countryside about Fort 
Dayton by his determined eloquence. Repeated protes- 
tations that, as men. they should cease halting between 
two opinions and with marshalled strength go to the 
rescue of the men at the fort, had met response. To 
guard family and home was not a duty to be cielegated 
to national troops, ])ut was now become the necessity 
of the hour — an individual task. The present exigency 
of the Mohawdv vallej^ must be met by its militia and 
its citizens. General Washington could not do their work 
for til em. Vantage points along the Hudson must not 
be left imperfectly guarded to invite attack through with- 
drawal of troops. 

As a result, the afternoon of August third saw thirty- 
three companies of militia gathered at Fort Dayton. The 
homespun and linsey-w^oolsey of grangers, the buckskin 
of trappers and the Continental blue-and-buff of officers 
suggested the polls at a fall election. Styles of head- 
gear were as diversified as the faces beneath them, and 
weapons, obsolete and recent, glinted menacingly in the 
sun's rays. Neither could the ba])el of dialect result- 
ing have been compassed by less than a half-dozen dif- 
fering mother-tongues. l)ut there they were Germans, 
Dutch, Irish, Scotch and Frc^ich Ilugenots, Englishmen 
proudly calling themselves Americans, and Yankees from 
New England, undisciplined, garrulous, insubordinrte as 
a tlock of sheep — a possible thousand of peace-loving 
men — eager now to be off and aw^ay on rhe march to- 
ward the enemy. 

That evening General Herkimer summoned to a Avar- 
council on the heights of Fort Dayton many whose names 
are listed among the hero-martyrs of that eventful strag- 
gle. Colonels Ebenezer Cox. Peter Bellinger, Jacob Klock 
and Frederick Visscher were in command of troops. 

[ b5 1 



There Avere Isaac Paris in eitizeii's dress, a member of 
the State Senate; Tliomas Spencer, a Seneca half-breed, 
an advocate of the cause, and Skenandoah, chief of the 
Oneidas, whom Dominie Kirkiand had influenced in be- 
half of the oppressed. The big chief had come to offer 
the assistance of his warriors in this work of rescue 
and defense, which service General Herkimer graciously 
accepted. Couriers were soon sent to appraise Colonel 
Gansevoort of relief en route, and the trip west was 
begun the day following — August fourth. News of the 
arrival of the British at Fort Stanwix having been brought 
by an Indian runner intensified the necessity, as well 
as the willingness of the men, for forced marching. 

The night of the fiftli found this craftsman 's-army 
encamped near Oriskany — a village of the Oneidas — 
and from this point Adam Helmer, with tAvo other scouts, 
stole away along the south side of the river to burrow 
through dangers besetting them and arrange with Colonel 
Gansevoort for a combined attack upon the British. Sig- 
nals had been agreed upon, and thus the camp fell asleep, 
a Inisli of expectancy brooding over them, the fortunes 
of Ihe moiM'ow yet to be revealed. 

Championing the cause her brother had espoused, INIolly 
Brant, in the household of Sir William Johnson, greedily 
spied among her patriot neighbors and reported all that 
hei- woman's Avit and savage instinct told her Avas de- 
siral)le iiifoi'mation for tlu^ enemy. So Avith tlie march- 
ing away of General Herkimer's men. this Avily Tory in 
jx'lticoats also dcspatclied an agile scout. Avho AA'as to 
obsci-vc tlie movements of the army from ambush, and, 
at llic ci'ucial momcMit, dash on to tlie camp of St. Leger. 
Having stalked llie expedition till its final bivouac he, 
too, stealthily disai)peared, still keeping to the north of 
the river. Thus, Avith its Avaters betAveen them, and niglit 
shielding their action, the scouts of oj)j)osin,u' t'oi'ces were 
seeking to accomplish similar ends. 

I l'-' 1 



The Gansevoort Statue, East Park, Rome, N. Y. 



Karly on Ihc morning* of the sixth tlic liritish were 
seen inanoeiivriiig to the east of Fort Stanwix. hut the 
movement did not then seem espeeially sigjiitieant. At 
ten o\'h)el\. howcvt i', Adam Jlclmcr and his aich's reached 
the fort, having gone far lo the south to avoid the ene- 
my's sentries, and fears quickly arose that St. Leger 
might also have l)een informed of Herkimer's coming 
and had, therefore, withdrawn certain of his troops to 
intercept reinforcements. 

The signal of three cannon sliots immediately l)oomed 
out their message of co-operation to the waiting men 
at Oriskany. All was now excitement at the fort. ^les- 
sengers hurried here and there across the pai'ade ground; 
officers were shouting orders, and soldiers testing their 
rifles, gathered in groups as hasty preparations for a 
Hank movement were l)eing made. 

At the same time over the bog-covered trail, with its 
treacherous stretches of corduroy road. Avinding through 
a gulch and out upon the slimy l)ottom-lands of the 
Mohawk, a fateful struggle was being waged. General 
Herkimer's nuni. restive under delay, doubting the need 
or advisability of longer waiting for Helmer's signals, 
had about nine o'clock, after much controA'crsy. over- 
borne the General's caution and marched without a rec- 
onnoitering guard into an ambuscade of the enemy. Thi' 
rank underbrush had suddenly become the h'afy embra- 
sures of hostile muskets, and arrows hissed viiulicatively 
as they cut the air. while tomahawks shone, blood-spat- 
tered, in the sunlight. 

The attack was paralyzing in its suddenness. Prerog- 
atives of rank were ignored and every man defended 
himself desperately ; then, after the first benund)ing shock 
had passed, troops reassembled and fought as coolly as 
their more experienced antagonists. Over all at this point. 
the excessive heat of the preceding days culminated in 
a terrific storm, so marked that the frenzy of nature 

[ 18 1 



abashed even St. Leger's spirit and hostilities were aban- 
doned for a time. 

Preparations at the fort were now complete, and with 
llie lessening- of the storm two hundred men under Colonel 
]\Iarinus Willett passed out the sally-port on double-quick, 
followed by fifty others in charge of a fieldpiece mounted 
on a gun-carriage. Marching straight for the enemy in 
plain view, they drove in their sentries and fell with 
such rapid, decisive fire upon the advance guard of Sir 
John Johnson's two commands as to leave no choice 
but that of flight to. those in camp. Sir John, with coat 
off, overtaken in his incautious assurance of security, 
ingloriously took to his heels, as did his allies. The 
rout of the enemy was complete, and the exhilaration 
of the men boundless. 

Colonel Willett remained on the enemy's ground until 
twenty-one wagon-loads of camp equipment had been 
transferred to the fort, then, leaving some dead for 
burial, he fought his way back to headquarters, dispers- 
ing the enemy in a half-formed aml)uscade of rallied 
forces that added greatly to the royal losses. Blankets 
and brass kettles, muskets and ammunition, tomahawks, 
spears, with tents and commissary stores, were the ordi- 
nary returns of their venture. Sir John's personal bag- 
gage, diary and memoranda added another trophy. But 
the most precious of all, not excepting four prisoners 
captured, were five British flags, which, upon the re- 
turn of the men to the fort, they hoisted beneath the 
Stars and Stripes amid such cheers as the wilderness 
had never before echoed. And there they floated, a con- 
stant taunt of American prow^ess, until the siege was 
ov(^r. 

Evidence was found in Sir John's papers that orders 
from General Schuyler had at some time been intercepted 
wliilc the messenger no doubt met death. A letter to 
Colonel AVillctt was also disclosed, and rarest of all, 

f 10 1 





GENERAL HERKIMER 

CAMPED NEAR THIS SPOT 

ON THE NIGHT or 

AUGUST 4;!777. 

VITH HIM WERE HIS 800 MEN. 

AND 400 OX-CARTS 
FILLED WITH SUPPLIES FOR 
THE RELIEF OF FORT STANWIX. 



Sixth Marker, located two miles to the east of Deerfield Corners on the 
State Road from Trenton to Herkimer, near Staring Creek. 



one for Colonel Gansevoort from his sAveetlieart in Al- 
bany. What a pitying- providence that released (lipid, 
monrning over his captivity in this wilderness camp ! 
Sir John had so far respected the privacy of these mis- 
sives as to leave them nnopened, and who shall say how 
mnch of new hope and conrage r(\snlted from their mys- 
tei'ions preservation and delivery? 

St. jjeger had effectnally delayed reinforcements, and 
confidently fancied that the disappointed garrison wonld 
noAv be willing to consider terms of surrender. The 
awfnl toll of death following the battle of the morning, 
])i'is{)ners taken and the hopelessness he anticipated would 
I)ai'alyze the besieged garrison, touched his own future 
with kaleidoscopic changes. Such masterly frustration 
of an opponent's plans merited much from King George. 
It was but a matter of time ere the triumphal return 
of himself and Sir John Burgoyne should emblazon the 
annals of history and the mother-country confer requi- 
site honors ! However, a new conception of Yankee spunk 
and no small chagrin dampened his ardor when knowl- 
edge of Sir John's entire rout forced a readjustment 
of logic. That Willett should not lose a man, while 
his own losses were heavy, was another humiliating item; 
and the confiscating of his favorite officer's personal ef- 
fects was a most undignified entry to Hgure in royal 
history. 

Besides, thei'e were plans of campaigns and informa- 
tion of the Crown which, unfortunately, were now in 
the hands of the foe. Fort Stanwix, with all it held 
of value to his cause, nnist be taken ! St. Leger, no 
doubt, considered it but small equivalent for his ill-timed 
episode. The disaffection of the Indians over the morn- 
ing's devastation of their own I'anks and the death of 
several chiefs, also added another anxiety to the Colonel's 
seore. How to placate their anger was a new task at 
hand. 

[ 21 1 



In camp the siiccci <ling day, after a night's eoDsid- 
eration of tlie situation, St. Lcgcr again dictated a mes- 
sage to Colonel (Jansevoort continning his policy of bul- 
lying, seeking to force an issue by intiniidal ion, letting 
imagination urge the advisability of kneeling to, rather 
than resisting resistless foes. Under a white tiag Colonel 
Butler antl two companions earned it to the fort. Being 
first blindfolded outside the gate they were admitted 
and taken to the ofhcers' mess-room, where windows had 
been darkened and candles lighted. It was the Colonel's 
pleasure on this occasion to surround himself with his 
aides, irrespective of grade. At one end of a long table 
sat the three visitors, and opposite were Colonels Ganse- 
voort, ]\Iellen and Willett as hosts. 

Between them on either side, others, who could not 
be accommodated with chairs, were content to stand. 
Wine was passed, followed by crackers and cheese, and 
after these preliminaries were over Major Ancrom, with 
condescending pomposity of manner, arose and delivered 
his commandant's message, garbed in such convincing 
sophistries as was intended to make surrender seem a 
veritable Jew's bargain to these imperiled men at the 
fort who were fighting, according to the Major, for a 
lost cause ! The Indians were much incensed over their 
loss of the day previous, he told them, and St. Leger 
could not guarantee immunity from their vengeful na- 
tures except under guard as prisoners of war ! Refusing 
his terms they were carving their own destinies. It was 
the velvety paw of the British lion with the claws veded ! 

Colonel Willett was deputized to answer for Colonel 
Gansevoort. and his pointed remai'l^s and tlieir brevity 
pleased all but three of the company. He first assured 
the Major that none of his listeners were deceived by 
the superfluities of his long speech. Then he flung back 
the taunt that General Herkimer's defeat did not render 
their cause hopeless. Besides this, Burgoyne had not 

I 22 1 



reached All)aiiy — that was false! As Ainerieans they 
w(^r(^ heri^ to defend the new flag above theiu and should 
do it at any hazard ! Furthermore, he need never ex- 
pect to see the inside of this fort again unless he came 
as a captive. If ( olonel St. Leger was so weak a com- 
mander as to be unable to eontrol his troops, allies or 
otherwise, the blood they spilled must be chargeable to 
himself and none other. 

"I consider your messag(\" concluded Colonel Willett, 
''a degrading one for a British ofUcer to send and one 
by no means reputable for a British officer to carry." 
and, when the echoes of applause had died away, the 
incident was closed. 

St. Leger was bafHed a second time. Doctor Wood- 
ruff, of the fort, and the British surgeon — one of those 
under the white flag — visited the wounded prisoners, 
a three days' armistice was proposed and agreed upon, 
then the men were again blindfolded and led out beyond 
the gate as they had come. The armistice saved gar- 
rison ammunition and gave the invaders opportunity to 
consider their chances of failure. 

^leanwhile, inside the fort, ways and means were be- 
ing duly considered; the question of outside relief was 
paramount, and must be accomplished at no very remote 
day. To this end, therefore, on the tenth of August, when 
night had settled down in all its blackness over the 
forest, Colonel Willett and Lieutenant Stockwell passed 
unseen out of the sally-port, crept cautiously over the 
marshes — sometimes upon hands and knees — down to- 
ward the river. Indians were everywhere and the slight- 
est mischance would bring the enemy upon them with a 
rush. The undertaking was one Avhich only sternest ne- 
cessity count(manced. 

Overhead was the cloudless sky Avith the stars faintly 
reflected in the waters of the IMohawk. A log reaching 
far beyond mid-stream atforded an easy crossing, hut 

f 23 1 



1heir figures, sillioiicttcd against tlu' oix'ii, would fur- 
nish easy mark for the sentry's fire. Tlu'y listened mo- 
ments. Crouching stealthily, like tlie denizens of the 
wood, they ventured slowly. The soft lai)i)ing of the 
ripples against the haidv sounded all t(K) like the moca- 
sined feet they dreaded, but the farther end was reached 
in safety and Lietuenant Stoekwell, familiar w ith wilder- 
ness travel, took the lead. 

Midnight was not yet past when the sudden barking 
of a dog, perilously near, startled them. Fearing be- 
trayal by snapping twigs or crunching leaves they stop- 
ped, not daring to lift a foot, every sense preternaturally 
alei-t to danger, and listened again. However, as moments 
passed and no eonimotion followed the dog's alarm their 
fears quieted. At length they stole on a few steps to 
the protecting shadows of underbrush nearby, and there 
.spent the final hours of the night. 

TTaving left the fort without blankets, so as to be as 
unencund)ered as possibh', and with only crackers and 
cheese in their ])ockets, their position now was not one 
of comfort. When the first gray heralds of dawn filtered 
through the green canopy abov(^ them they crept away 
until the I'iver was reached and. now, on its banks, again 
fording its shallow depths to render impossible any dis- 
covery of their trail, they made a long detour to the 
noi'th. being less li<d)le to a surprise from the Indians; 
then turning a few miles to the east led them })r()babiy 
through the present toAvnships of Steuben and Trenton, 
and from this point south, thi'ce o'clock of the second day 
found them at Little Falls on the Moiiawlc river. haA'ing 
ti'aveled in this time some fifty mih^s. 

Affairs at Fort Staiiwix. aftei- the dei)arture of Willett 
and Stoekwell. had changed, and, following the armistice, 
became moi'e critical. St. Tjeger had sent a third demand 
to suri'cnder and again been i-efusiMl. Tunneling was. in 
-<'onse(|uence. resorted to as a last measure, a successful 

I -^4 I 



^"^^■w ' ■» Jlr 





: :: ;MABCHCO. RST;: JHIS::;: SPrc^^^^ 



iiiairaii 



rWE EVEMIMG OF 

the: folldwimg day. 



1 



Tenth Marker, located on Whitesboro Street, Utica, N. Y., not 

far from Genesee Street, in grass plot in front of the 

"Saturday Globe" building. 



iiu'lliod in soiHP instances of undermining' forts, but for- 
tunately not in tliis. When within one hundred fifty feet 
of the ramparts firing" from the eo vert- way dc^feated this 
plan also. 

St. Leger evidently underestinuited the persistent cour- 
age of the Americans, else he Avould not have reasoned 
that repeated demands and reiterated threats might pre- 
vail. He had no conception of the hold this love of free- 
dom had upon these oppressed, overtaxed sul)jects of 
King George. That this old fort held men as determined 
as himself, as capable in thought and action, and as 
devoted to their cause, he would not acknowledge, even 
though they had baffled every advance of his so success- 
fully as to merit admiration from a less bigoted foe. 
Those bullets from the covert-way were, at this tim(% 
convincing argument unheeded. The element of fear on 
which he had so nuich depended to win him honors, had 
proven a false hope. 

Behind a veneering of outward calm, misgivings as 
to the ultimate outconu^ of the siege were noAV troubling 
alike officers and men within the ramparts. A week had 
passed sinc(^ Willett and Stockwell left, with no word, 
no way of knowing if their daring had left them lifeless 
in the forest or led them on to success. But tluit a crisis 
was impending none could deny. 

Down at Fort Dayton — now Herkimer — the welcome 
to these men upon their arrival had been most enthusi- 
astic. Here it was learned that (Jeneral Schuylei* had 
ordered the First Xew Voi-k I'egimeiit and a detachment 
of ^Massachusetts troops under Genei-al Learnard, the 
whol(» commanded by General Benedict Arnold, to march 
to the relief of Fort Stanwix. Tln*se troops, not many 
days later, were assembled, awaiting final arrangements. 

Among the scn-eral prisoners confined at Fort Dayton, 
recently captured as spies and scnleneed to death, was 
one Han Yost Schuylei'. a half-witted lad. disliking pr-ison 



restrictions and gladly promising all sorts of fidelity to 
General Arnold for even a conditional reprieve. With a 
brother held as hostage, he marched away with the re- 
lief party, a traitorous loyalist. While yet some dis- 
tance from Fort Stanwix, hatless and barefoot, his ragged 
trousers and hands briar-torn, his coat purposely punc- 
tured by bullets, he was released by General Arnold and 
darted off on his mission. Shortly thereafter he rushed 
into the camp of St. Leger breathless, seemingly ex- 
haustid. acting perfectly the part of a refugee, shouting 
incoherent warnings of a large American force down 
the valley. St. Leger questioned, deliberated, counseled, 
then questioned again. Plans for an ambush were con- 
sidered and persistently cried down. 

"They are coming! They are coming!" shouted the 
l)oy in apparent terror. IIow many? A dirt3^ unkempt 
finger pointed to the leaves above and conveyed the false 
impression of a host approaching. Han Yost was known 
to Sir John Johnson as a Tory and thus they fell the 
easier victims of Arnold's ruse. The Indians, being su- 
perstitious, believed insane, or half-witted persons to be 
in league with the spirits, and this, coupled with English 
I'um. made them fleet-footed cowards. There was no re- 
straining them and alone St. Leger knew himself unequal 
to the task of maintaining the siege against such odds. 
Once the invaders scented danger, consternation lent 
them wings and stole discretion. The whole force fled 
precipitately, willing in their haste to breast the dangers 
and inconvenience of existence in this desert of trees 
without waiting to pack camp equipment or stores, glad 
of an unobstructed i)ath back to Wood Creek. This ruse 
of Arnold's saved all the horrors of an engagement, in- 
evitable otherwise, deadly enough l)et^v<MMl regulars and 
doubly so with savage allies. 

The flag above the captured colors was still flying vic- 
toriously when Arnold's men arrived, while the cause 

L 27 ] 




Academy of Holy Names, on the site where St. Leger had his 
Headquarters during the siege of Fort Stanwix. 



of independence had gained immeasurably with the re- 
treat of the foe. That nine hundred of them, following 
for days, failed to overtake the fugitives, testified to the 
eelerity of the latter 's movements. 

Han Yost had done his work well, and his aeeount 
of the British liight kindled frc^sh fires of patriotism in 
th(^ ]\Iohawk Valley, while Burgo^'ue's defeat at Sara- 
toga fed the flames. Fort Stanwix had not surrended ; 
its new flag had not been furled. The future of the 
United States was a thing assured! 

AVith the onrush of years after peace was declared, 
the shadows of the forest were pressed farther and farther 
west and settlers established homes on sunlit acres. 
Around Fort Stanwix cabins were again built up, and, 
under the stimulus of peace and trade, the strategic points 
Avhieh characterized it as a place of defence were noAv 
the influences that mothered the portage settlement and 
-developed it gradually into the nucleus of a town. As 
a lineal descendant of those strenuous, decisive days, 
Rome inherits with just pride her legacy of historic treas- 
ure, and as heir to the site of Fort Stanwix guards the 
trust with due respect to the responsibility. 

F(^w heroes are as aptly honored upon the scene of 
their greatest conflict as Colonel Gansevoort, and few. 
indeed, the places where the tides of time have brought 
changes more poetic and forceful in their strong com- 
parisons. 

AVith the trails of the portage widc^ned into city streets 
and the footprints of St. Leger's men hidden under miles 
of asphalt and brick, the din of traffic seems to crowd 
into the realm of dreams the Council of Peace which 
convened at the fort eleven years after Gansevoort 's 
victories. But. pausing betw(^en James and Spring streets, 
with a thought of those memorable yesterdays, can you 
fancy Governor Clinton and Count Monsbiers, the French 
embassador, leaving the river down near the East Domi- 

I 20 1 



nick street bridge and coining, in the mellow October 
sunlight, over what was then a marshy path, to the fort? 
Gracing the occasion were cocked hats, powdered wigs 
and genteel unifonns, while the Marchioness de Biron — 
the Count's sister — accompanying them was an import- 
ant figure. 

Colonel Ganscvoort was also one of the company, and 
William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, of whose wrist-laccs and ruffled short-fronts and 
satin waistcoats not even a great treaty of peace could 
render either entirely forgetful. There were Cornplanter, 
and Skenandoah, Red Jacket and Brant, with their heavy 
faces and glowering brows, wearing their longest feathers 
and gaudiest insignia of rank, while some four thousand 
braves overflowed the fort. 

And can you see the assemblage with bowed heads 
as Dominie Kirkland, arms uplifted and face turned 
heavenward, invokes blessing and benediction? Does this 
scene seem to neighbor with the rush of troUej^-car, motor- 
cycle and automobile, the ring of hoof-beats and the 
passing of thousands around Rome's "busy corner?" 

Then again, like kings who have abdicated in favor 
of mightier forces, four silent cannon, figure-heads of 
their effective predecessors, mark the place of each bas- 
tion, and back of them are homes. At this point, in 
the reception room of Rome Club House, the remodeled 
Colonial residence of the late George Barnard, hangs 
the life-size .portrait of Colonel Gansevoort, the work of 
a famous artist, and the gift to the club from his grand- 
daughter. Mrs. Abraham Lansing of Albany. And here 
it is one fancies a reminiscent light steals into the kindly 
eyes, where now as spectator, he contrasts the banquet- 
ing at Rome's social functions with that earlier banquet 
of crackers and cheese when he was host. 

Outside, like the fulfilled prophecy of that first crude 
flag, another dips gracefully in the breeze and epitomizes 

I 30 ] 



peace. And over the man the flag and the memories 
the long arms of a giant elm east protecting shadows, 
a patriarch of the primeval forest, an eye-witness to the 
changes of one hundred thirty-seven years. Washington 
and Lafayette have stood beneath its branches, and Gov- 
ernors Hughes and Dix have paid homage to it. 

On the height where St. Leger had his headquarters 
stands the old St. Peter's church, with its Academy of 
Holy Names, while Sir John Johnson's camp is crossed 
by the New York Central railroad near the eastern ap- 
proach to its river bridge. 

Over in the quiet of East park, custodian of the port- 
age still, stands the bronze statue of Colonel Gansevoort, 
also the gift to the city of the generous Mrs. Lansing, 
And beyond the "questing aiul the guessing" of this life, 
we hope, sometime, to meet the much loved, undaunted 
defender of our cherished P'ort Stanwix, and greet the 
Unknow^n Ones who gave us our first flag. 




[ 31 ] 




One of the four cannon which mark the bastions of Fort Stanwix, 
Rome, N. Y. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



011 800 164 3 i 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




